Only a fraction of the country’s former irrigated farmland remains operational after years of state inaction.
When Prime Minister Robert Fico visited farmland near Senec during a recent harvest tour, he surprised many by saying that the government was considering bringing in a major foreign investor to help restore Slovakia's dilapidated irrigation systems.
Following this week's developments, it appears he may have found one in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On Wednesday, Fico met with Sheikh and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, after which he said the two had also discussed the issue of irrigation.
"We also discussed a PPP project in Slovak agriculture related to irrigation, as well as the possible entry of an investor from the UAE into Slovakia's state-controlled spa sector," he told the Slovak news agency TASR.
In a press release, the Government Office confirmed that the talks focused on "several promising projects in the fields of transport, investment and agriculture with significant economic potential".
